Hyderabad: From Tasbeehs (prayer beads) to Janamaz (prayer rugs), prayer essentials imported from Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, Pakistan and even Belgium are in huge demand in the city.
Around a dozen shops near Char Kamaan are stocking these imported goods. “Compared to the ones made here, the quality of the Turkish and Pakistani Janamaz is much better. Also, these are very soft and senior citizens usually prefer them, as they are more comfortable to sit on and pray for long hours. The thickness of these prayer rugs is at least double than that of the local ones,” said one of the shopkeepers.
Starting from Rs 300, the imported prayer rugs go up to Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. The Indian ones, made of handloom or velvet, cost Rs 300 to Rs 500.
Along with Janamaz, Tasbeehs are the most preferred articles, said owner of Syedi and Sons, Mr Syed Zafer. Tasbeeh is used to count the number of utterances of sentences from the Quran, which is a widely practiced form of Zikr (praying).
Most of these are imported from China or Pakistan and can cost up to Rs 1,000. And though there is not much difference in quality, people do ask for the imported ones more, say the traders.
Traditional tasbeehs are usually made of seeds, wooden beads, stones, pearls, amber, plastic, crystal and several other precious beads. There are also those with digital counters, available for as low as Rs 40, going up to Rs 200.
Mr Syed Zafer said, “Like in everything else, Chinese goods are the most popular as they are affordable and eye-catching.”
Also, for people who are always on the go, there are prayer rugs and Qurans, which can easily fit in pockets. These are available at most of the stores in and around Charminar and Purani Haveli and cost no more than Rs 200.
